Turner County herald. (Hurley, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1887-07-14

building fund. d....t...s.i:...s....Sl,9 w, W.. NJ ",
Fuel fund. Observation-Disclosures <, SV't 30
Ground improvement fund, forest -
trees and concrete walk. ........:.. 65a6o
In ali a shortage of .s5, All. 50
Tho above amounts are estimates mado by
competent men rs to the cost of the improve
ments and is the only thing we have to base
estimates on. Colby or trustees have failed
10 furnish an estimate of the cost Of tho SOW
eral improvements. The estimates made OF
the improvement show that there ought 10
havo been money left in the several improve
ment funds ins lead of, as Colby says; an over
draft in several funds amounting to y, ,e05, as
per Cubbys statement, exhibit q
Territorial Auditor Caldwell paid the vouch-
ers drawn in favor Of A Il. Colby, as most OF
them were upon the funds before mentloneu
and o, K'd them. The law makes 1t the duty
of the steward to disburse the employees
funds and buy all supplies for the institution,
and in no case are any OF these vouchers sup
posed tosreach the secretary of the board,
This law niakts it the duty of the supsrins
tendent and the president OF the board OF trus-
tees to check up and certify TO tho correctness
of the stewards monthly statements, and the
auditor has no authority wha,ever to pay
vouchers that are not certified in this way.
And yet Auditor Caldwell in his dealings with
Mr. Colby during the past two years has seen
fit to do away with steward and superintendent
and TO rerognize Cobbya alone In these several
capacities, thus giving the officers no oppor-
tunity whatever TO have any check upon the
money expended from these several funds
The steward and superintendent being ap-
poiative officers by the trustees are not tc
blame for this manner and way of doing busi=
ness SO much as Auditor CaidwolL IN mat
ter being taken out of their hands without any
warrant of law or authority by the trustees,
Caldwell is the man who should have checked
and refused to recognize the manner and way
of doing business,
The trustees who acted with Mr.. Colby in
tn saatter try to evade, with very poor sracu,
their Responsibility When they have gone 80
far out of their way as to take upon them
selves the duties and responsibilities o. Stew
ard ana superintendent of the institution they
shou have had or kept some track of the
money that WAS passing through their hands,
aud when they now attempt to say that they
know nothing whatever of the matter, as somc
of Them do, know nothing of the estimates
that We're being made or of how this money
was being expended, they place themselves on
record as being totally incompetent to fill the
responsible position which they hold as irus-
tees of this institution. They elected Mr..
Colby superintendent of construction, and by
thoir act appointed him treasurer of the funds
over which they had assumed control.
Mr. Colby, during the two years he acled as
trustee, seems to have employed greater
portion of his time i'll experimenting the con-
structon and building OF q chicken house, ice
house, coal house, completing an attic and n few
other small improvements.
During his term as trustee he was paid out
of the general fund OF the territory for such
services the sum of 81, S3S 80, being an average
of about So for every working day during the
two years that he served on the board; and
yet i'll his testimony ho admits that during the
time he had an interest in general store,
was giving his time and attention 10 it, was
doing other building and contracting besides
that NJ the institution, and was engaged in
other and divers enterprises. Aud yet he has
found something to do during almost every
day OF his entire torn, as would appear from
tho amount of money that has been paid for
his services, The members of the old board
were so well satisfied with the services of
Colby thai they elected him in April, 1887, to
The position of superintendent of construction
and was anxious to have him again assume
tho management and control Of the oXpend-
turc OF the money appropriated for new i'm
Mr.. Colby in his examination has no deii-
mite idea as to the several costs of the I'M
made l,y him duiing his term rs
trustee, except those which, on the second day
of his examination, ho tried to explain had
been built out of the fuel fund and others.
Included in those improvements was the ice
house. Hc know to a cent the exact cost of
that building, and claimed that it had been
built outoi moneyappropriated to buy fuel for
the institution, and yet in his vouchers on file i'll
this Office OF the territorial auditor drawn on the
fund for building buildings during tho tine
he was making these improvements, he spoci-
fled that it was for work done on ice house,
root house and hen house, And during tho
months of june, July and August, 1888, for
iheso purposes he drew ont OF this fund ST.
fIa65. The addition to barn was built on con-
tract for 81 ,6i5, as would appear from secre-
tary's minut5s, and also from the vouchers on
file in tho territorial auditors Office, by Lang
felt and Baker From tI:e above vouchers it
would seem tha. Mr. cobbys memory is again
at fault when he attempts to say, as he did in
his examination, that the money for the leo
House did not come out of this fund, but WAS |
taken from outside funds in his hands.
All of the business transacted by the tru.- !
tees in disbursing the several funds OF which |
they took control was done in such an unsat- |
isfactory manner that it is impossible to tell |
whore or how, or i'll what amounts tho money |
was expended.
From the eslimntes that we are able TO make
from the improvement of ground fund, from
the testimony taken Mr.. Colby did not di y |
brlrse more than eighteen or nineteen hun
dred dollars in making the improvements that |
he made outof this fund, and there would |
have been plenty OF money in that fund TO |
have paid for the fountain and building the |
concrets pavement as claimed in his report of |
November 80. 1856. The concrete walk, |
to si3ntO, was paid for out of the |
employees fund, and an overdraft of 500 was
paid for trees, az appears from the vouchers |
drawn by Mr. Colby.
Thus, iakiBg their last biennial report as |
correct, and it is tho only thing that the mcm-
bers of tho board claim to have given partic-
llar attention, there Is shortage in this fund |
to $3.50 g. On the fuel fund Colby |
doesn't dony there is an ovdrdraft of So, 9J29S |
On the other funds out of which the other |
several improvements were made by the trus-
tees or by Colby in person, careful estimytes |
show that something like 1880 ought to have
been saved in making tho improvements
Making in all u shortage out Of the various
funds that passed through the trustees hands
a d heretofore stated of So, 474 SO
In making this report We have seen fit to
base anr opinion upon the report made by the
trustees in November, 1856, in 80 far as it is
This they all claim to have given
personal attention TO and supposed it to be
correct, and about all other matters in detail
they claim to know very little, if anything.
From tho careful estimates made and from
all tho testimony taken, it is apparent that
every thing should have been accomplished as
detailed and stated i'll that report, and as
shown by competent buihlers and contractors
the sum of 81 ,99l.95 ought to have been saved
out Of tho money expended in repairs and
buildings
the testimony taken at the examination
All of which is respectfully submitted
G. n HARRIS,
Public Examiner
SUPPLEMENTAL REPORT.
ABERDEEN, Oak, June 2S, 1873:
Gov L. X. Church, Bismarck, Oak.
DEAR SIR: l 1have the pleasure of herewith
submitting to you the reports of tho experts
employed by mo to so over and verify in de-
tail the report submitted by T. j. Smith and
J. Il. Gamble, attorneys fer the trustees of tho
Hall -Ntn hos, fol